North Wins Jackie Burke Cup
Galveston – The North Squad earned 29 points and won the Jackie Burke Cup for the fifth straight year and evened up the all-time record versus the South Squad at Moody Gardens Golf Course.
“It feels better to win as a captain,” said North Squad Captain Brandon Smith, “This was a great overall win and a fun experience.”
Smith played in two Jackie Burke Cups during his LJT career and squared off against current Texas A&M teammate Chandler Phillips. The duo relished the opportunity to come back lead their respective teams through the gauntlet that is the Jackie Burke Cup.
The Jackie Burke Cup matches consist of three rounds in which two teams of 12 players compete in Four-Ball, Foursome and Singles matches. The players are divided based on their locations throughout Texas, making it a battle of North versus South.
Heading into Sunday’s Singles Matches, the North Squad led the Jackie Burke Cup 13-11.
Austin’s Thomas Bockholt III, who won the Boys 15-18 Player of the Year Award in 2018, squared off against Dallas’ Connor Adams, who was the runner-up in the Boys 15-18 Player of the Year standings, in the first match of the day.
Bockholt won six of the first seven holes with three birdies on his front nine and finished off Adams with a birdie on the 192-yard, 13th hole, which is a par-3 that looks out into the bay. The match squared up the overall score for the South Squad at 13-13.
San Antonio’s Shoichiro Kato picked up a second early victory for the South Squad on Sunday, beating Dallas’ Mateo Trevino 3&2 and giving his team the first lead of the weekend. Kato started off his round with a birdie on No. 1 and made par on No. 2 to go 2 up. He dropped a hole on the par-5 seventh, but won the par-3 ninth and the par-4 10th to go 3 up and finally clinched the match on the 16th with a par.
Argyle’s Gaven Lane earned the first two points for the North Squad on Sunday, defeating Austin’s Cole Sherwood 2 up with a birdie on the 421-yard 18th. Lane was one of five players on the North Squad that had previous Jackie Burke Cup experience.
Dallas’ Ben Delarosa and Andrew Petruzzelli both won their matches over Austin’s Keaton Vo and Driftwood’s Grant Yerger, respectively. All four players were representing the Boys 14 & Under Division for the North and South Squads and the four points accrued brought the overall score to 19-15.
League City’s Christian Hernandez defeated Lewisville’s Junwoo Park 1 up after making a birdie on the 17th and then a par on the 18th. His win was critical for the South Squad as it kept valuable points from the North Squad.
Hailey Jones of Dallas won her match 4&3 over Girls 12-18 Player of the Year Zoe Slaughter. Jones opened her round with a birdie and finished it with a birdie on the par-4 15th.
Temple’s Dallas Hankamer defeated Pearland’s Vishnu Sadagopan 4&3, which brought the North Squad within one points of retaining the Jackie Burke Cup. Hankamer won a total of six points for his team this year and has an overall record of 5-1-0 in Jackie Burke Cup matches.
Richmond’s Stephen Campbell Jr. won his match 3&2 over Lucas’ Jay Pabin. Campbell played steadily all day long, making three birdies and 13 pars en route to his victory. The two points were much needed for the South Squad as it brought the score to 23-19.
Abilene’s Maddi Olson made par on the 18th hole and defeated Kingwood’s Elise Parel 1 up to secure the clinching points for the North Squad. Olson won three of the last six holes to win the match and made par on the 381-yard 18th hole to win. This win gave the North Squad the 25 points required to win the cup and even the all-time series 7-7.
Flower Mound’s Rohit Madireddi defeated Austin’s Jacob Sosa 3&2, while Plano’s Matthew Comegys won his match over Lake Jackson’s Jacob Borow 3&2. The duo were among the three players for the North Squad that went undefeated in matches and each earned six points for their team.
Moody Gardens Golf Course hosted the Jackie Burke Cup matches for the first time in the event’s 14-year history. The course is situated right off the bay in Galveston, Texas and the par-72 layout features a stout test for players based on heavy winds and undulating fairways. The winds were gusting towards 30 miles per hour all throughout the weekend and the north wind left a chill in the air.
The Jackie Burke Cup matches conclude the 2018 season for the Legends Junior Tour. The LJT would like to thank all of the players, families, volunteers and clubs from the 2018 season.
To see all the scores from this weekend’s Jackie Burke Cup, click here. For more information on the event, click here.